Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-05-25
DEATH ON THE GARROTE.
A Frenchman Describes How the SPANS
Execute Their Criminals.


ing, Alvarez Olivia, the murderer OF
Juan Ximenes, the notary, was gar
rotted. As an enterprisitg tourist,
DESTROYS of seeing everything possible
to see, / was present at The execution,
writes q, correspondent OF the Paris
Figaro. and make the following hasty
account Of the various incidents OF
this dismal holiday, while not more
than Two steps from the place OF exc
cution.
The foreigner who this morning saw
the Puerto del Sor the first time
would have thought Madrid had gone
wild with noisy merriment-lust as
upon the occasion of some royal cere-
mony at the ancienS church OF An
tocha, or of some great bull fight ex-
hibition under the management or
Garlic Mazzantini. The manoles
never looked more attractive. Their
great black eyes were lustrous with
Joy, and amid great f1uttering offans
and marvellous bursts of laughter they
wendell their way in groups to the
sinister Plaza del Aire Puro, humming
the latest popular malaguenas, sway
ing their hips as they walked, and in
solently jostling the honest market
people who burdened the sidewalks
with heaps OF enormous pimentos and
calabashes of the queerest shapes.
Riding superb Andalusian horses with
small heads and finely -arched necks-
| horses that seemed to have stepped
out of some canvas by Velasquez-the
elegant young men OF the city passed
by at canter, all delicately gloved
| and wearing tube-roses at their button
holes, as II they were going to the Re-
| trio to wait the advent Of the open
carriage of some belle.
Lying upon q stool, covered with g.
snow-white cloth, is the garrote itself
-shimmering like crown of steel. In
g. little while the executioner will at
| tach it to q post against which q Grim
inal is to be fastened. The final prep
arations consumed considerable
time, so that [ was able to make a
leisurely examination of the sinister
locality whittier curiosity had drawn
me for the purpose o. studying the
physiogomy of the great pushing Or
squeezing crowd. AS always, and in
all places, the women were the most
numerous. The plaza where the exc
cution took place is on very high
ground, and the pure air one breathes
there must increase the criminals re-
gret for life at the moment when his
respiration is about to be cut short
| forever. The houses surrounding 1T,
mostly Of humble aspect. are widely
interpreted. Between them q stranger
who loves classic landscapes can OBJ
tain good view of the sunburned and
yellow plains of Nueva Castillo and
| the blush mountains Of Guadamara
in the horizon.
The deploy of military forces about
the scaffold was considerable. |
counted no less than six detachments
of different corps. There were laucers
with Russian shaped helmets of brass.
with gendarmes in black with yellow
straps and belts and white trimmings,
blue uniformed light cavalry, infantry,
provincial guards with red caps. The
martial department of these men,
nearly all young, strong and hand
some, impressed me very much. What
is that little bell | hear ringing SO
long?" I asked my neighbor, an old
Navarrese peasant, whom Gustave
Dore would have taken for g. model,
and who, while chewing the end Of an
extinguished cigar, kept passing the
beads of a rosary between his thin
bony fingers.
"That," he replied, sis the collector's
bell"
Then I saw coming toward me
through the crowd a sort OF sacristan,
wearing red scull. cap, and carrying
in front OF him, supported by a strl p
passed around his neck, q great green
box like barrel organ. Itwas really
shaped, however, like q gigantic poor
box, such as are placed in churches;
and on it's side was painted, IN great,
big letters, the words: Pay Carload
peace and Charity.'')
"Drop an aims into it," the old man
said to me; sit will 60 to have masses
said for the repose of the soul OF
Alvarez OLIVIA"
"Certainly, old FRIEND" answered.
"Here are ten reals. You drop them
in for me. San Isidor will be just as
thankful to me as if put them in my.
self.' The way the old man looks at
me cannot be described. While pre-.
tend to look another way, see the
silver coin vanish into the depth OF
his Navarrese vest pocket. Poor fell
low He will live on that for O. whole
week. The Spaniard is sober. Will
the soul Of Alvarez Olivia be any worse
off? Hardly, I think; for the old
peasant will be sure during the rest OF
/ his life to pray for the soul OF the
rascal who brought him such good
luck.
Now there is a. great movement
around the scaffold. The soldiers
close their ranks and three men APP
proach the scaffold One Of them
ascends it. 1t is the executioner. He
is thin, low-sized, and looks about &C
years old. While waiting for his vic
tim he keeps walking nervously to and
fro, with his hands behind his back
and his head down. From time to
time he stops and looks at the argolls
1.-THE "garrote'') with q suspicious ex
preston OF countenance. Perhaps DC
IS afraid of the power of resistance
possessed by the cervical vertebrae o.
Alvarez, and is therefore afraid OF
losing his bounty.